Guys I know this may be the wrong place to ask this question but I hope to get some honest answers. lol.

I love the whole Rome setting and the game looks great but I heard it gets boring battle after battle. So I checked out Civilization 4 reviews and they are both in the same range for over score. Civilization looks like a great game too and looks like a lot of fun. So my question is has anyone played both and actually know which is better? Thanks guys. Hopefully someone can help because I want to buy one.

surely many many many people have played both games. Most people who did probably enjoyed the heck out of both also. Rome:Total War is an awesome game. Civ4 is an awesome game. Which is better? I'd answer there isn't an answer to that. One being better would suggest there is a clear answer. Which was better Mario 64 or Sonic's first 3-D experience?...Mario. These two are all about preference.

I've played every civ game. On the other side I've only played Rome: Total War and Medieval II: Total War. Every game in the previous 2 scentences were fun and worth the money. Civ games are stupidly addictive. I love them but ultimately have to put them away when I find computer time infringing on the other parts of my life. I don't think I've ever bored of the games. Total War...did eventually get old. Rome took a good couple months. I played the heck out the game, but taking over and hour for one turn due to 5 battles got old. I loved it but won't really be going back there. Medieval II was glichy as hell. Fun but after one or two campaigns I put it away until the patch. Time hasn't premitted for my getting back to it.

Look at the reviews and decide what you'd enjoy more. Or at this point they are pretty cheap, just buy both (probably 10 bucks each online).

I've played all of these games as well, and they're all good, but some things that have bothered me:

CIV 3 and 4 annoy the hell out of me. By late game, when you're dealing with a lot of info, the turns get pretty slow unless you've got a real fast computer. You can click the end turn button and wait twenty minutes before it's your turn again. This is really annoying since they're just turn based strategy and I see no reason why they have to be so complicated. Total War on the other hand moves quick all the way through, even fighting a surround sound 3d battle (and the graphics are awesome) my computer's never had any trouble at all. Rome Total War has the best of both worlds too, turn based strategy and real time battles. I think, overall it's probably a better game than Civ 4, and definitely a more efficient program. Civ 4 is infinitely modifiable though, and people have some really cool mod-packs out there for just about anything you're looking for.

Honestly though, if you really want to give civ games a try, go to Target or Walmart or whatever online discount store you want and get CivII gold edition, or my personal favorite, Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is my vote for the best game ever. It's sort of a sequel to Civ2, where the earth has sent a mission to colonize Alpha Centauri, and you're the leader of a faction trying to control the planet. You get to play with some awesome futuristic weapons, and the game really deals with some deep concepts too. Of all the games I've ever owned, Alpha Centauri has the most re-playability. And you can probably buy it for just ten bucks. Best value ever.

I didn't say it was the better game. I love both Rome: TW and Civ IV. For different reasons, but I'd had to have to chose one over the other. But if I had to, I'd chose Civ IV.

Each time you start a game the world is random, you decide where your cities go, and therefore no two games are even remotely alike. It's like a different planet each time you play. Whereas in Rome, it's always the same map, with the same cities in the same places and the same civs starting in the same locations every game. You know where all the resources are and you know where your opponents are.

Not so in Civ IV.

Rome has only one win condition, Civ IV has many.

Civ IV for longevity and replayability, but that doesn't mean Rome is any less of a game, it's just different.